Lions roar into quarters

The Lions' tenuous grip on the Vodacom trophy was made firmer on Friday night much to the relief of coach Hugo van As when they beat the Bulls 20-14 in a crucial Vodacom Cup clash at Loftus.

Defeat, or failure to earn two bonus points, would have eliminated the champions.

Now they face a quarterfinal clash with Free State Cheetahs, winners of the other section, in Bloemfontein this weekend.

However, reinforced by returning Super 12 players - flankers Piet Krause and Torros Pretorius - the Lions' pack took charge and sealed the win over the Bulls. "Having those two back helped lift the performance of Walter Minnaar," said relieved coach Hugo van As. "The loose trio were great."

Van As is hoping that with the Cats having a bye this week, he may be able to make use of Springbok flyhalf/centre Hennie le Roux against Free State, impressive 37-27 winners over the Natal Wildebeeste in Durban. "I'll have to wait and see what Laurie Mains says but it would be nice to have Hennie as an option although Gareth Wright played very nicely and has a big future," added Van As.

Injuries to Springbok forwards, James Dalton and Hannes Strydom are worrying, but Van As is hopeful both will be fit to play after coming off as a precautionary measure.

Griquas, winners of the north section slumped to a shock 27-17 defeat in their final match against North West Leopards in Potchefstroom where ex-Griquas' pair, Casper Oosthuizen and Basil de Coning, played major parts in the downfall of their former province.

But the victory which earned the home team a bonus point for four tries was not enough to clinch a place in the last eight.

Griquas, Falcons, Bulls and Lions are through, though.

Scorers

Lions 20 - tries: James Dalton, Michael Loubscher; penalties Gareth Wright (2); conversions: Wright (2).

Bulls 14 - tries: Johan Roets, Joseph Ntsongwana; conversions: Tiaan Snyman (2).